Infrared thermometry: A remote sensing technique for predicting yield in water-stressed cotton

A crop water stress index (CWSI) was derived from air temperatures, air vapor pressure deficits and the midday radiant leaf temperatures of cotton plants that were exposed to different early-season irrigation treatments at Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A. To calculate the CWSI, an infrared thermometer was used to measure leaf temperatures which were then scaled relative to minimum and maximum temperatures expected for no-stress (CWSI=0) and extreme drought-stress conditions (CWSI=1). Results showed the CWSI behaved as expected, dropping to low levels following an irrigation and increasing gradually as the cotton plants depleted soil moisture reserves. The final yield of seed cotton was significantly inversely correlated with the average CWSI observed over the interval from the appearance of the first square until two weeks following the final irrigation.